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Four Azores Islands
  • Ladyandtramp
mars 2024

Four Azores Islands

Following two months travelling through Andalusia, Spain, we are going to the Azores Islands for three weeks. Five years ago, we spent three weeks on Sao Miguel Island and said that we would return to explore a few more of the islands. So here we are En savoir plus
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  • LadyandtrampFour Azores IslandsLadyandtramp
    This is enormous. If you look carefully, you can see tiny peoples' heads in the middle.
    We entered via the tunnel.The entranceThe tunnelLooking up the chimneyLook at the coloursThe lake at tge bottomThe lakeOld photos of the descent

    Algar do Carvão - Inside a Volcanic Vent

    23 mars 2024, Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    The ‘Algar do Carvão’ is one of the few volcanoes of its kind in the world that can be visited from the inside. The lava solidified on the walls preventing the volcano from collapsing and creating a caldera. It formed a ‘chimney’, open to the surface. Apparently there are only two in the world that you can go inside - one in Terceira and one in Indonesia.

    We bought our tickets, went down some stairs and then walked down a narrow tunnel-like passageway. The floor was wet and we had to be careful we didn’t slip or twist our ankles again.

    The tunnel opened into a mini Jurassic park. The small green plants covered the walls of the hole and it was beautiful. Birds were chirping and water dripped down on us. Looking up we could see the opening of the lava tube and the sky and clouds. To give you an idea of the perspective, the opening is 17 x 27 metres (approx 51 x 81 feet).

    When you look down at this point you think that you can see the whole cave, but there are many levels and flights of stairs to descend to get to the bottom. Actually there are 338 stairs.

    On the way down, there are two large ‘halls’ created by the attempts of lava to go outside before forming the impressive“chimney” where it actually came out. At a certain level, we could see a large lake at the bottom.

    One of the two halls is called the“cathedral“, where the lava gave the room a round shape as it couldn’t break through to the surface due to the hardness of the rock. The walls of this ‘cathedral’ are colourful, greens, browns, reds, blacks, etc. The acoustics are good so at times small concerts are performed here.

    Beautiful flower-shaped stalactites (amorphous silica stalactites) covered the walls. It is hard to explain how awesome this place was.

    Nowadays, in order to visit such a place we only had to go down the stairs , but can you imagine what it would be like to enter here with ropes from above? When we exited, we looked at old photos of explorers who first explored this chimney. In 1893, they went down the hole tied on with ropes, with several men placed around the rim holding the ropes.

    The Algar was only opened to the public in the late 60’s. The tunnel was built and then the access stairs. At a later date it was expanded and then improved several times.

    Legend has it that a shepherd, looking for a goat that was missing in his flock, found this impressive hole in the ground.

    Both of us were blown away by seeing this impressive sight. What an incredible experience we had, visiting this 90-meter deep structure built by nature 2000 years ago.    En savoir plus

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  • LadyandtrampFour Azores IslandsLadyandtramp
    Entering the harbourOne of the three forts and a wall around the base of the mountainChris and Vasco da GamaThe cathedralThe peaceful Duke's GardenDragon TreeThe convent that the museum was inTwo harpsichords in thw chapelThe first motorized hearseThe tiny organ besdie the choir loftAngra and Monte Brasil

    Angra do Heroísmo

    24 mars 2024, Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Angra do Heroísmo is the largest city on Terceira and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We felt that our trip to the island wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t spend some time here, especially since we are staying in a house only a 15 minute drive away.

    We parked at the base of Monte Brasil and walked along the shore, past the marina and beach area. People were jogging, sunning, swimming and kayaking as it was a beautiful sunny day. We could see the three forts and the wall around the base of the mountain. This town has a big history.

    The walk through the cobblestone streets of the city’s historic downtown area was pleasant. (Earlier we had tried to drive through the city and it wasn’t very pleasant as the streets are very narrow and we kept going the wrong way on the one way streets!)

    We admired the beautiful architecture and got a sense of what the city was like when it was founded in the 15th century.

    The cathedral, built in the 17th Century, had extensive damage after the 1980 earthquake. Even as restoration work was going on in 1983, one of the bell-towers was destroyed. Two years later, in 1985, a fire destroyed the gilded carpentry of the altars, the organs and the framed ceiling decorations. These catastrophes resulted in a large loss of Baroque artifacts. But the cathedral has been restored since then and continues to be important to the community.

    We stopped for a little rest in a well-kept Duke of Terceira Garden. This pretty garden has plants that were transported to Terceira from all over the world.

    Next door and situated in a former Franciscan convent from the seventeenth century is the Angra Museum. Our host used to be the curator at this museum.

    The building, that has gone through several uses, also houses the church of St. Francis, known as the Church of Our Lady of Guia, which is a beautiful example of religious architecture of the eighteenth century. It has lovely woodwork on its ceilings, altarpieces and altar. Portuguese tiles decorate its walls.

    The museum has a bit of everything from cars to ceramics, as well as weapons, medals, coins, navigational instruments, sculptures, paintings, furniture and porcelain, etc.

    We especially liked watching a 15 minute 1928 documentary showing life in Angra. The film makers lived and worked in Angra and used ragtime music. We recognized many of the places in the film.

    It’s a pretty city and we are happy that we had the perfect day to go visit it. Tomorrow, we will leave Terceira and fly to Sao Miguel Island.    En savoir plus

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  • LadyandtrampFour Azores IslandsLadyandtramp
    View from our bedroom
    One of the two sweet farm dogs.Breakfast roomKitchenHallways to bedroomsUpstairs sitting roomOur bathroomHorses on wheels and a bicyclrGreat room overlooking the horse ringInside one of the four stablesStables straight aheadOutbuildings as seen from our bedroomGarden in the backyardCaroline and pupThe house from the gardenThe truck with ths shoeing equipment.Bicyclie tour starting here.

    Sao Miguel Island and A Horse Farm

    25–28 mars 2024, Portugal ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Well, we had an adventure that wasn’t planned at the Lajes airport on Terceira.

    On this trip we have gone through security in airports and in train stations, several times, and we have had no issues with going through with our backpacks until now. Maybe, it has something to do with the terrorist attack in Moscow? The X-ray machine picked up some suspicious items in our bags.

    After pulling out everything, and searching through everything, they showed us a small eyeglass screwdriver, a nail file and a plastic fingernail cleaner. They asked me if I had any needles. I asked, “Sewing needles?”, and they answered yes. OMG. The choice for us was to hand the things over or check them in but we didn’t have to pay any extra. So we checked the two bags. The good thing is that the airplanes are small so we didn’t have long to wait for the bags at the other end. Now, we had to go through security again and guess what? My purse didn’t pass (it did the first time) so they put it through again and all was okay.

    The weather over the islands is ever-changing, especially with winds and fog. The people who live on the islands are used to the weather affecting their plans and planes being delayed. Of course our plane was delayed but only by an hour. The flight is only 45 minutes long.

    No issues with the car rental company, Ilha Verde, and us being a little late. They are used to it. We have used this company 3 times on the island and have been happy with them. This time they gave us an upgrade, a Peugeot SUV. Best car yet!

    By 3 p.m., all of our grrr feelings with the airport security, disappeared. Our accommodations on Sao Miguel island are beautiful. We are an 8 minute drive north of the airport, out in the country, in a luxurious home on a horse farm. Caroline, the owner, really lives in style. By the way, Caroline lives with two sweet dogs here and forty horses.

    We are here for 3 nights before heading home. It is a great place to be staying in at the end of our long trip.    En savoir plus

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  • LadyandtrampFour Azores IslandsLadyandtramp
    Cute house over a cliff with views of the island.
    Old houses ready for renosLots of gardens and churches in Vila FrancoFishing boatsOn the way to the northshoreTea farmTea farmMachinery for grinding tea leaves

    Vila Franca

    27 mars 2024, Portugal ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    Vila Franca is a town on the southern part of the island of Sao Miguel. When we were on the island 5 years ago, we drove through this town but didn’t stop to explore it. So today, we looked forward to visiting it.

    This was the first capital of the island but that changed after an earthquake and huge landslide destroyed the city in 1522.

    The town prospered though from the 18th century onwards from orange plantations, and later, from pineapple production. Today, it is a bustling town (5,000 people) filled with life, being one of the larger municipalities on the island. At present, there is a lot of work being done on renovating old houses. Everywhere we walked we could see and hear people working on buildings.

    We went down to the sea front and walked on the malecon. One of the most unique things about Vila Franca is the small island off the shore. It is shaped like a crescent moon and is actually a volcano with a crater, that fills up with ocean water from one side.

    During the summer, boats go to the Natural Park there, but in the winter boats just go around it. We didn’t do this. Maybe another time. Every year since 2009, the famous Red Bull Cliff Diving athletes come to the Azores to jump from the top of the tower cliff (27 m high) that you can see on one side of the island and perform impressive acrobatics.

    In most of the harbour towns we have been in, we have seen lots of boats but not working fishing boats. We wondered where the fishing villages were. Well, Vila Franco has a whole area full of boats with nets and fishing apparatus. Fishermen were actually working on their boats when we walked on the piers.

    We also enjoyed spotting the remains of the old 18th Century fort while we were in the marina. Actually the ramparts seemed to go along the whole shoreline, quite a distance.

    A pottery studio was open so we visited it for awhile. More about that later.

    Vila Franca must be quite the tourist area in the summer as there are numerous hotels, parks, whale watching and fishing boats, restaurants and even a big water park. But today it was a quiet and lovely place to go for a walk. We would go back.

    We drove 18 km to the other side of the island to the Gorreana Tea Plantation to check out their tea farm and processing plant before heading back to the horse farm. Another great day on Sao Miguel.    En savoir plus

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  • LadyandtrampFour Azores IslandsLadyandtramp
    The Santas were very cool!Easter chicksThe potter on a posterThe oven!

    Pottery in Vila Franca

    27 mars 2024, Portugal ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    Vila Franca do Campo is a town where pottery is one of the local handcrafts. We happened to pass a pottery workshop where a lady kindly showed us how the pottery from this town has been traditionally made. We were thinking of Karen as we took these photos.En savoir plus

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  • LadyandtrampFour Azores IslandsLadyandtramp
    3
    Sunset Beach restaurant in Lagoa2Menu at O TascaThe Golden Egg Boy

    Ponta Delgada and Home Again!

    28 mars 2024, Portugal ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    It’s the last day of our three month trip to Andalucia and the Azores. The last day… we have seen and done a lot but are ready to head home.

    We didn’t need to be at the airport until 2 p.m. so we drove to visit some of the places we had visited when we were in Sao Miguel five years ago. We had stayed with the kids in Lagoa, a suburb of Ponta Delgada and had some great memories of our time there.

    Our favourite ice cream restaurant on the beach was called the Sunset Beach Restaurant. It has great views and reasonably priced food. You can chose to eat indoors or out. We had to stop there, for old times’s sake, and we had delicious and healthy smoothies while watching surfers in the big waves.

    Our plan was to have lunch at a restaurant that our friend Donna, and her sister and friend, loved when they were in Ponta Delgada called A Tasha. We drove into town and easily found it. It was packed but it didn’t take long before we had seats. A Tasca is more than just a restaurant, it’s an experience. The restaurant is located in a traditional house with a rustic decor. The staff is super busy but very pleasant. The extensive menu had both seafood and authentic Azorean cuisine. There is something for everyone.

    Since it was lunchtime, we opted for the tuna sandwiches - but the tuna definitely wasn’t canned! Delicious tuna steaks on Azorean bread. I had an open-faced bruschetta and tuna sandwich and Chris had a toasted sandwich. So good. No wonder Donna loved that place. Thanks Donna for the recommendation!

    Then we were off to the airport to return our rental car and get our boarding passes. Easy peasy. Our plane, of course, was delayed by an hour but security was a breeze. We met two Ontario couples - one from Gravenhurst and the other from Amaranth. The Amaranth couple were visiting their daughter who is a math teacher on a Tall Ship! We always meet interesting people while travelling.

    Finally, we boarded and we’re headed home. Not the smoothest flight but we were on our way home.

    Sitting next tome was another interesting man. He was a biochemist and doctor who had done extensive research on cancer and dementias for 40 years in Toronto. His biggest study was to see the positive effects of green teas on preventing cancer. And he found that the green tea in the Azores was the best in the world. Of course the tea leaves need to be picked at the right time and it depends on the months and the age of the plant.

    Green Brain Health Tea product benefits are posted on the Gorreana website:
    - Promotes cognitive functions by delaying the aging process and consequently reducing brain degeneration, which increases with age.
    - Has a relaxing effect, reducing anxiety and stress.
    - Improves sleep quality by stimulating serotonin, which is important for the production of alpha waves in the brain.
    - Improves vascular function and helps to minimize cardiovascular disease.

    https://gorreana.pt/blog/en/article/green-tea-b…

    Anyways, we learn a lot from new people that we meet! We ordered a couple of bags of this tea when we got home.

    When we got ‘home’ starting at the Toronto Airport, it was chaos. It took us at least 2 hours to get through the lines and we didn’t have to pick up luggage. Luggage had been taken off the conveyor belt and just put anywhere. Trying to find your luggage would be a challenge! Thank heavens for carryons.

    Red Car was dependable as always. We didn’t wait long but we’re the last ones to be let off as we live in Fergus. The Guelph people got off first. So, we got home at 12:30 a.m. our time, or 4:30 a.m. Azores time. Long day.

    It’s Easter weekend. No food stores are open on Good Friday except for our local deli, Frabert’s. Thank you Jackie! Our next door neighbour, Sharon, kindly bought us a few staples and turned the heat and water on in our apartment. She noticed a small leak in the toilet. Chris called our plumber from Sao Miguel and when we got home, we had a new toilet. Whew.

    We loved catching up with our kids. Nathan (7) went on an Easter egg hunt and found the golden egg. He was thrilled with his big Easter basket prize! On Saturday, we got organized for an Easter brunch and Sunday we all got together. Great to be home and just in time for two birthdays - mine and Matt’s. Lots to talk about and to celebrate!    En savoir plus

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    Fin du voyage
    28 mars 2024